title: Web-based database for the management of tissue specimens in a transregional histological research facility.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the setting of a histological research core facility sample tracking and project specific archiving of tissue specimens and communication of related data is of central importance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 24-month period 10 laboratories from two transregional research centers submitted in excess of 3000 tissue samples for histological processing and evaluation to our core facility. A web based database was set up to overcome the logistical problem of managing samples with inconsistent, duplicate and missing labels and to allow for efficient sample tracking, archiving and communication with the collaborating research laboratories. The database allows the users to remotely generate unique sample identifiers and enter sample annotation prior to sample processing. Furthermore the database facilitates communication about experimental set-up results and media files such as histological images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our newly constructed web based portal is an important tool for the management of research samples of our histological core facility and facilitates significantly interdisciplinary and transregional research. It is freely available for scientific use.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital, Institute of Pathology, Cologne, Germany. sebastian_huss@web.de
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huss
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fronhoffs
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Büttner
authors.forename: Lukas C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Heukamp
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019992:Databases as Topic; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D020407:Internet; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*